Soldering is used to join two or more metal items together by melting and flowing a filler metal called solder into a joint. A soldering iron, soldering gun or torch is used to melt and flow the filler metal or solder which has a lower melting point than the workpiece. A variety of metal alloys are used as solder for applications including plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning or HVAC, refrigeration equipment and jewelry making. These alloys melt at differing temperatures and provide soldered joints with differing characteristics. In each case, the solder material consists of wire which must be unwound by hand from a coil. When an individual performing a soldering operation requires more solder, he or she has no alternative but to cease the operation long enough to unwind more wire thereby interrupting their work and losing time.
The prior art has put forth several designs for soldering machines. Among these are:
US Patent Publication 2012/0280020 to Tetsuro Nishimura describes an apparatus for feeding wire solder with high tensile strength and pull cut resistance. The wire solder has an extended wire solder and a core wire having a higher tensile strength than the wire solder. The apparatus for feeding the wire solder comprises a wire solder storage section where the wire solder with a core wire is stored and a core wire rewinding member that takes up an end of the core wire to rewind the core wire. While the core rewinding member is rotated to rewind the core wire, the single or multiple strands of solder are heated to perform soldering at the location of soldering upstream of the core wire rewinding member.
US Patent 2007/00751 to Chung Wong describes a solder feeder includes a housing member, a solder gripper assembly with a solder guide tube, a solder holder, a trigger means, and a solder path tube receiving a straight or a curved nozzle. Solder from a solder spool is extended forward when the trigger means is engaged or activated. The solder guide tube from the solder gripper assembly recesses into the solder path tube to provide a guaranteed solder path when the solder wire is advanced forward. The solder wire is curved at a proper curvature when it escapes from a tip of the nozzle. An electric version of the solder feeder uses a DC motor to drive a pulley to wind a belt or a cable for advancing the solder wire forward. Both devices extend a length of curved solder requiring the use of only one hand and allowing a true non-stop solder operation on copper pipe joints or similar tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,003 to Harry Ono describes an automatic soldering machine used for high volume assembly operations of components such as PC boards, electrical terminals, and the like. The automatic soldering machine utilizes many design features which substantially reduces maintenance, simplifies the soldering operation, improves the process reliability, reduces the cycle time, and reduces the cost to fabricate such a machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,591 to David L. Quinne and Kevin M. Quinn describes a solder dispenser which includes a body portion having a sleeve thereon with a moveable shuttle extending through the sleeve. A solder holder bracket is retained on the moveable shuttle for retaining a spool of solder on the solder dispenser. A solder gripper is carried on the body for gripping solder upon moving the shuttle to extend a length of solder from the solder spool. The solder gripper acts as a one way cam which retains the solder as it is being extending from the spool but also allows solder to pass therethrough once it is extended from the spool. A trigger assembly is used to displace the shuttle and thereby extend a length of solder. The trigger assembly allows for dispensing a selected or desired length of solder from the spool.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.